Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1887-02-25
OUR HIGHWAYS.


REMEDY ron IT,
The most important business which will
come before our voters next Tuesday i.
that with reference to the care and man.
agcment Of our highways. It is important
because it is matter which directly con
Germs every resident Of the town and he
cause there is II general feeling among our
people that our present SYSTEM Or lack Of
system Of management is not the best.
The amount Of money which has been paid
out on the highway account during the past
year is IA generous one, amounting ~ al
most 5000 not including Sljl1 paid from
the town treasury for the repairs of bridges
aud S2l3j expended in building new streets,
and yet it is difficult to tell where any per.
nanent Improvement has been made Save
| the extension Of the system Of side walks
| the money seems all to have gone for the
| ordinary patching up-tho cartng on aud
| eating OIL which goes on every season. la.
| deed people who travel much declare that
our BrattleborO roads are steadily retro
| grading aud that the contrast between our
| roads and those in towns on our northern and
| western boundaries is noticeable and unfav
| cradle. The contrast between our own roads
/
shire and Massachusetts is certainly strong
and decidedly uniavoruble. The hill roads
! through Chesterfield are better than our
! BrattleburU rOuds us hundreds of our peu.
! pie have occasion 10 know; the contrast i,
| still greater if one goes through Ilinsdale
up the Ashuclot Valley, and the Massuchu
sets roads through Mortified and Bern
ardston and the river towns beyond are
| like bnulevurils hy comparison
because this is the case We do not feel
| like throwing the blame on any single oil
cial or set of officials. We do not think
| Mr. Stockwel, II, the leading road comm,
sioner, is altogether responsible for ii, and
! We do not think the selectuen are respun
! lble for IL. We think the real trouble lie,
| ~ the fact that the town has got mt u
! slip shud, half and half way ol managing
| It's highways with no settled plan for per
nanent improvement. We have got IN u
| way Of skiInIning over the surface of the
whole highway system every year aud Of
doing nothing thoroughly or to stay For
| Tong years, reaching far beyond the memo
! ry ui anybody now alive, the section Of
Nam street between the the town hall AMI
| the junction of Asylum and South Main
/ streets has been allowed to lie perfect
! slough Of despnnd, AN unknown depth of
| horrible mud, spring and fall, and through
| every heavy ram. There has been no end
Of ,culding about it, but this is all There
! IL Is, the very worst piece of road in the
whole county, but still nothing has been
done % permanently improve il aud abate
the nuisance. 1t makes one wonder wheth
/ er lac Is in busy, pupulous village On it,
most used thorOughfare, or whether lie i,
climbing over Hogback into Wilmington.
when lie goes up High street hill and see,
there two great water bars, one in the mid
! die and one at the top, which drivers for
business and drivers for pleasure, all the
! people of West Brattleb0ru and most of
tlusr III the East village, have bumped over
and sworn about for years, and still moth
ing Is done about 1t. The thing 10 lee done
u be sure, Is 10 grade the hill from Mr.
Croehys down, use some good material
about 1t and crown up the roadway in the
middle 50 as 10 throw the water into the
cutters at either side, but this would cost
a little money at the start and after il wa,
done would leave less chance for the yearI,
cartng on and carting Of
Our sidewalk system Is being carried out
IN the same shiftle,s, and in the end. CA
trayagamt way Take this came High street
for illustration. Here was laid one of the
first long pieces of concrete under the de
mand for improved ways for foot-passen
gers. 1t was n good thing and the peoul-
liked 1t, but instead of making Il little pav.
nlent in year and making it u stay.
long stretch was covered by having a thin
coat On top Of the ground and without an,
curbng next the gutter t. protect the
edges The IneN itahle result was that the
surface suon became cracked. wavv and ma
even, and with every spring break ,p or
heavy rain the earth gradual, washes avn,
from the side and the edge breaks OIL little
10y little. Nobody expects an expensive
granite curbing to lie put in in such eases
lint f4t.l,l. L.. l...l
Tor the drawing, and slate rock is abundant
and cheap, and either Of these would max.
good and permanent curling Thi, is
only specimen ease. for practically the.
same thing has been dome all over tow, and
tins year We believe il is Canal street which
has hal its share of such work. which i'm
the end u 50 expensive because il * unt
done thoroughly and to last Half "A mill.
81 walk built each year Ia stay is far better
AMI cheaper than two miles built ~ that it
needs replacing III five years
The bill of complaint might lie. extended
to show many other loose jumted way.--t.
show how outside the villages long str.trl,
rs OF highway are allowed a. deterinrat,.
ana now IA tins village the street t.r,,ssi,,,,s
are almost never cleared of mud in ti,u-.
"i heavy and continued rain, or prnper ,t
tention paid 10 the removal Of snow in ,,i,
ter, but We have said enough by way ur II
lustratiun.
The question Is as tn the remedy. and tL,
'"ll remedy lies IA the adoption of some
system which Will give IA, RESPONSIBLE. tb,,r
"ugh gong permanent work W.. have
often SAID that it would be rheapcr in the
end IA buy stone -crIsher. even AT I'M.
large expense which IT would involve at the
START Just ~ the town OF Greenfield Inns
hone ~ the past year, aud thus yet nlatrri
al for rnadWays that will last I'm E,u.nr
TINS part of the little army of lri,nuru
Who NO" spend the summer in l.i,,,r,.L
hoehs out the gutter, might he better ,.ui
ploStd III breaking some of our abundant
stone material 10y hand for thi, purpo,e
llSt aS IA the South cheap lalor i us'.l T.,
break rock 10y hand IL ballast the, rnilr'.J
road beds
II Is Il tradition in town that y,.nrs .,,
when q. q. Allen had brief term of mn
th"Illy III highway affairs. he rebuilt tLe
I,Hi"ay up the hill past what is now Col
fullers residence The lob cast n,n,,..,
ami Mr.. Allen WAS not reelected. but III.
r"il was built to stay and it ha, staid -,
Tue event has proved, it was one. of TIA.
'"v"l'Ta' pieces OF road ever built i'm town.
',' "i' A"eh Is htli IN respect TO-DAY he
cause he had the independence. +, H.! tI,.
work IN this thorough way in shit. IF ,''',
'rary public opinion.
The impression gains gruund with ,,..,,,
"
pe"pie that the best thing that can b. dom.
w Vle coming year Is 10 make In. s.lert
"S" Tue r"ad commissioners aS the law mn
N''eH, ana put on them the responsibility
TOR Vhe proper expenditure of the towns
money. lhis should be done with the. nm.
herStahdlng that they are 10 buy tennis ~,
lhe t'"hS account To do the highway y,rk
1h" use them IN a way Ia get value received
Tor thelr cost and keeping When II inL IL
+" 10, ""he at amy distant point they shu,ll
SEM competent man to have chY,v. nr
men ann teams and tn see that the, work Is
''"e ~ the best economy of time and mon
,l' 1t can never Ice economy Ia send "A
team out Tor day, or day after day. With
"hly one or two men tu keep it running ar
I" send squads of laburers away H., tLsu,
selves tn put in only rs many hours Hr work
rs they may happen tu.
'he thing more n can ,,sr,r IN. ,,,,,L.
goa" r'"""mH Ia PIT he hiJL,r,,y ,,,,,,,,.,
"""""'"J :" NSAhD az NH. OlpJ u Da,,,. mia
""g ""r ma" = h""tN in IN, erjpnde,I bybio
y hr 'h""NrN, Ia n irdy Ia return, him a., ia,
"r'd"W prdt The highway work sbo,ld
either he done under a contract -.''.h n i,J
~ WORK Tor 50 much money or it should Ice
u"he hy tSe selectucn in way that ,,i,.rs
'u1"' hn chance Tor profit on the work of
''nrr the Leans or the men employed
We nave written on this subject at this
ithSth Tor no reason except that comul,iut
ah"ul the condition Of our hiphvavs Lu.
never been 50 loud aud universal A. fnr H..
p"St SIX months or more. We have b.,.n
repeatedly urged bN all snrts ,r ,,.....I ,